Continuous mining machine having a laterally movable mining head



May 28, 1957 s. c. MOON 2,793,343 CONTINUOUS MINING MACHINE HAVING A LATERALLY MOVABLE MINING HEAD Original Filed Feb. 14. 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet l f/v VE'N T085 STEEL/N6 6. Mo 0M 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 S. C. MOON CONTINUOUS MINING MACHINE HAVING A LATERAL-LY MOVABLE MINING HEAD Original Filed Feb. 14. 1950 May 28, 1957 HIS HT 'Y.

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May 28, 1957 s, c, MOON 2,793,848

CONTINUOUS MINING MACHINE HAVING A LATERALLY MOVABLE} MINING HEAD Original Filed Feb. 14, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 29 24 17- \YNMXKHIMHI @N @I Q STEEL/N4 C. MOON f/v VENTOE;

May 28;, 1957 s. c. MOON 2,793,848

CONTINUOUS MINING MACHINE HAVING A LATERALLY MOVABLE MINING HEAD Original Filed Feb. 14, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 [w vE/v TORZ' 575E LING C. Moo/v United States Patent ce CONTINUOUS MINING MACHINE HAVING A LATERALLY MOVABLE MINING HEAD Sterling C. Moon, Worthington, Ohio, assignor to The Jeffrey Manufacturing Company, a corporation of Ohio Continuation of application Serial No. 144,127, February 14, 1950. This application June 15, 1955, Serial No. 515,704

6 Claims. (Cl. 262-7) This invention relates to a continuous mining and loading machine or to a combination cutting and loading machine which is adapted to cut or dig, gather and load coal, the cutting and digging and the gathering taking place at the face of a mine room, the loading being into a mine car, shuttle car, or the like, at the rear of the machine.

An object of the invention therefore is to provide an improved cutting head of a mining machine of the above general type.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a cutting head for a continuous mining machine in which the coal is removed from its native bed by a pair of laterally spaced, combination kerf cutters and gathering conveyers or a pair of laterally spaced coal diggers and conveyers, or just plain laterally spaced conveyers, above which there is a coal digging mechanism in the form of a plurality of rotating breaker arms which rotate in synchronism on horizontal axes and which are operative to remove substantially the entire face of the .coal directly above the spaced cutter bars or conveyers, all of the coal being conveyed from the coal face by said spaced combination cutter bars and conveyers or by said conveyers.

A further object of the invention is to provide a cutting head in which the coal breaking mechanism above the spaced cutter bars or conveyers has a width appreciably less than the Width of the machine, this coal breaking unit being laterally adjustable and in a more specific aspect also vertically adjustable so that it may be adjusted-to any position on the face of the coal above the bottom cutter bars or gathering conveyers.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cutting head including a plurality of breaker arms which are un-symmetrical and which in operation successively swing out beyond the confines of the head frame and then swing within the confines; the plurality of breaker arms being so timed that all of the arms may be positioned between the lateral confines of the head and below the top extremity thereof simultaneously, thus providing for ready maneuverability of said head during operation of the machine.

Other objects of the invention will appear hereinafter, the novel features and combinations being set forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of the front end of a continuous mining machine incorporating the features of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the machine illustrated in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a front elevational view of the machine of Figs. 1 and 2.

Patented May 28, 1957 I arms of the machine of Figs. 1 to 3.

Fig. 5 is a rear elevational view of the head of the machine of 'Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 4 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 7 constitutes a side elevational view of the rear end of the continuous mining machine incorporating the features of my invention.

This application is a continuation of my application, Serial 'No. 144,127, filed February 14, 1950 for (Dontinuous Mining and Loading Machine, now abandoned.

Reference is made to Figs. 1 to 7 of the drawings wherein my invention is illustrated. Fig. 1 of the drawings may be placed end to end with Fig. 7 of the drawings to show in side elevation a complete combination mining and loading machine. In this machine the combination kerf cutting and gathering mechanism are trough cutting bars.

The supplemental mining mechanism which includes a vertical adjustable frame 1 is mounted for vertical rectilinear adjustment on a pair of laterally spaced guide posts 2 attached to the main frame 40, the frame '1 being provided with a pair of sliding guideways 3 slidable up and down along the guide posts 2. Power operated means, including a pair of screws 4, one associated with a nut carried on a boss 5 of each guideway 3, and motors which rotate the screws 4 effect raising and lowering of the frame 1. The screws 4 are held in fixed position by upper and lower brackets 6, 7 rigidly attached to posts 2. The screws 4 may be reversely operated or locked in adjusted position by means of individual rotary hydraulic motors 8 which drive them through gear trains contained in gear housings 9.

As clearly illustrated in Fig. l of the drawings the frame -1 slopes upwardly and forwardly and at its forward end is provided with a generally laterally horizontal upright transversely or laterally extending track or guideway 10 which supports a breaking and chipping head 11 for lateral adjustment relative thereto and to the rest of the machine, including the main frame 40 and cutter bars 44 and 45.

The head includes a gear box or frame 12 whichincludes a plurality of intermeshing gears driving a pair of lower forwardly generally horizontal longitudinally extending shafts 13, 14 and a similar but shorter pair of upper shafts 15, 16. All of the shafts 13 to 16 are geared together, as clearly illustrated in Figs. 4 and 6 of the drawings and are driven from a single rotary hydraulic motor 17 (see Figs. 4 and 5) and drive gearing in a gear housing '18 of the drawings.

-The lower shafts 13 and 14 carry breaker arms 19 and 20, respectively. Said shafts also carry tools or bits 21. The upper shafts 15 and 16 drive breaker arms '22 and 23, respectively, preferably similar in construction to the afore'described breaker arms '19. Shafts 15 and 16 also carry tools or bits 21.

Mounting of the breaker arms 22 and 23 on the gear box '12 follows quite closely the mounting of the breaker arms 19 and 20 on the gear box 12..

Breaker arms 19 and 22 are provided with a pairof in-phase eccentrics 24 with which a trimmer plate 25 is associated, carrying vertical or side and top horizontal bits 26 adapted to trim the scallops from the sides or ribs and tops or roof of the room, tunnel or entry which will be produced by the rotating breaker arms. The

breaker arms 20 and 23 are similarly provided with eccentrics 27 and an associated trimmer plate 28 having vertical or side and top horizontal bits 29.

The direction of rotation of the breaker arms 19, 20, 22 and 23 is clearly illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawings. The path of rotation of each overlaps the path of rotation of the two adjacent ones. The upper pair is, however, rearwardly of the lower pair, as a consequence of which there can be no interference between them. The upper pair are timed relative to each other to prevent interference, as are the lower pair. The lower pair of breaker arms move inwardly during their downward travel so as to effect a conveying action on the material, guiding it toward the center part of the machine.

The complete head 11 is mounted for rectilinear reverse lateral adjustment on the track or guideway by virtue of a nut holding boss (see Fig. 2) which projects from the rear of the casing 12 through an elongated horizontal slot in the guideway 1t? and receives a rotatable screw 31 held against longitudinal movement in bearing boxes 32 and driven by a rotary hydraulic motor 33 through gearing in a gear case 34 which is mounted on the frame 1.

It is obvious that the supplemental mining mechanism of the machine of Figs. 1 to 6 does not attack the entire working face of the mine room, entry or tunnel at one time but is designed to work successively on different areas thereof until the whole working face has been broken down. As clearly illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the combination cutter bars and gathering mechanisms 44 preferably extend forwardly slightly beyond the breaker arms 19 and 20 and the tools 21 associated therewith. Consequently, in this embodiment it is not possible for the breaker arms to remove coal adjacent the mine floor, but this operation must be performed by the combination kerf cutting and loading mechanism which functions in this particular and also functions to convey rearwardly the coal released by the breaking and chipping head 11. The extent of vertical adjustment of the breaking and chipping head 11 is illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

This machine of Figs. 1 to 6 has the breaking and chipping head 11 which is adjustable to remove coal from the working face over a lateral dimension which is greater than the maximum width of the machine so that the machine is free to move laterally. Likewise, it will remove the coal through a vertical dimension which is greater than the height of the machine. The working tools comprising the breaker arms 19, 20, 22 and 23 and the trimming bits 26 and 29 are adapted to reach out laterally beyond any frame member and then recede into the lateral dimension of said frame member. This characteristic of this machine prevents binding of the machine. Of course, this binding can also be prevented by adjusting the heads laterally inwardly from either extreme lateral position.

.The bottom combination kerf cutter and gathering mechanism, or merely the gathering mechanism, as the case may be, will not bind the machine in any embodimerit.

In the embodiment of Figs. 1 to 6 wherein the combination kerf cutting and loading mechanism necessarily cuts a bottom kerf and thus removes the coal adjacent the mine floor, this binding is prevented by virtue of the fact that the entire machine is readily maneuverable and may be shifted laterally by feeding one crawler while the other is not fed or is fed at a different rate. This maneuverability of the machine thus provides for freedom of movement of the machine in the tunnel, room or entry which is being driven. This is a matter of considerable importance in any such machine, for a machine which binds itself in a tunnel, room or entry which it creates soon loses its maneuverability and usefulness because of irregularities in the mine vein which the machine must be adapted to follow, as well as freedom of movement of the working tools which attack the coal which if they become bound, either become totally inoperative or require an extensive amount of power not practically available to operate them.

Obviously, those skilled in the art may make various changes in the details and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the claims hereto appended, and applicant therefore wishes not to be restricted to the precise construction herein disclosed.

The loading portion of this mining machine includes a main frame 40 mounted on the crawlers 41 which are independently driven to propel and guide the machine. A pivot means 42 is mounted on the front of the main frame to pivotally support a pair of spaced apart cutter bars 44 and 4-5 forming the trough 43 tiherebetween. The cutter bars 44 and 45 each have a cutting and conveying chain 46 and 47 which travel in opposite directions as indicated by the arrows to convey the core into the trough 43. The cutting and conveying chain 46 and 47 carry the removable bits 48. The conveyor 59 on the main frame 40 receives the coal from the conveying cutter bars 44 and 45 and carries it up and over the machine to the discharge 51 on the boom 52 at the rear of the machine which can swing from side to side.

The drive for this machine is shown in Fig. 7 wherein the electric motor 53 operates the hydraulic pump 54 which in turn provides power to operate the crawlers 41, the cutting and conveying chains 46 and 44, the motors 8 and 33 to move the cutting head up and down and back and forth and the motor 17 which rotates the breaker arms.

Having thus described and shown an embodiment of the invention, what it is desired to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A coal mining machine including a mobile main frame, two screw means disposed at right angles to each other and carried at the forward end of said main frame, the first of said screw means mounted directly on said main frame, an intermediate frame mounted on the front of said main frame to be moved back and forth by said first screw means in a plane that is transverse to said main frame, the second of said screw means mounted on said intermediate frame, mining mechanism including means for cut-ting and breaking coal from a mine face and mounted on said intermediate frame to be moved back and forth by said second screw means in a plane parallel to the plane in which said intermediate frame is moved, and power drive means to move said mobile main frame and feed the mining mechanism in the coal face while said screw means moves the same in said transverse planes.

2. The structure of claim 1 which also includes floor cutting means on the forward end of said main frame below said mining mechanism and movable with said main frame.

3. The structure of claim 2 characterized in that said floor cutting means is an endless chain that cuts a relief for said mining mechanism by cutting ahead of the same and regardless of the position of said mining mechan1sm.

4. A coal mining machine including a mobile main frame, two screw means disposed at right angles to each other and carried at the forward end of said main frame, the first of said screw means mounted directly on said main frame, an intermediate frame mounted on the front of said main frame to be moved back and forth by said first screw means in a plane that is transverse to said main frame, the second screw means mounted on said intermediate frame, mining mechanism including means for cutting and breaking coal from a mine face and mounted on said intermediate frame to be moved back and forth by said second screw means in a plane parallel to the plane in which said intermediate frame is moved, power means to drive each of said screw means, and power drive means to move said mobile main frame and feed the mining mechanism in the coal face while said screw means moves the same in said transverse planes.

5. The structure of claim 4 which also includes floor cutting means on the forward end of said main frame below said mining mechanism and movable with said 5 main frame.

6. The structure of claim 5 characterized in that said floor cutting means is an endless chain that cuts a relief for said mining mechanism by cutting ahead of the same and regardless of the position of said mining mech- 10 anism.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Gray Dec. 14, Lobbey Dec. 20, Jones Nov. 28, Howard Aug. 5, Snyder et a1. Nov. 16, 

